The American Lung Association in the Mid-Atlantic is the leading health organization dedicated to fighting threats to lung health including asthma, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tobacco and air pollution.

LUNG FORCE is the national movement led by the American Lung Association to unite women in the fight against lung cancer and for lung health. We invite you to join us – share your story and become a LUNG FORCE Hero, take the pledge and spread the word to make lung cancer a cause people care about and act on, and raise critical funds for lung cancer research. Visit LUNGFORCE.ORG to learn more and to join us in the movement.

Education and Programs

The Lung Association serves communities throughout the Mid-Atlantic region by providing numerous education and support programs to help children and adults better manage lung disease and improve their quality of life. Some of our many programs include the Better Breathers Clubs, Freedom From Smoking®, and Kickin’ Asthma, as well as the Lung HelpLine (1-800-LUNG-USA) that provides resources in over 150 languages.

The Promise of Research

Each year, the American Lung Association in California helps fund research that one day may lead to a cure for asthma, lung cancer, and COPD. One such research award is the Lung Cancer Discovery Award which supports investigators, at any level of research experience, who are focused on novel treatments or a cure for lung cancer. We support also basic and clinical research through training and “seed” grants for beginning researchers focused on improving lung health.

Fighting For Air

We advocate for stronger clean air and tobacco control policies at the local and state level to benefit children and adults with lung disease, and to help future Californians breathe easier. Our advocacy agenda aims to:

Highlight and advance the lung health benefits of clean air and climate change leadership

Increase state funding for comprehensive tobacco control programs that promote policies to decrease tobacco use and improve access to quit-smoking treatments and services

Increase the number of state and local smokefree areas to protect people where they live, work, eat and play

Ensure that existing federal, state and local clean air laws are strongly enforced and protected

The Facts:

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the nation for both men and women – it claims more lives than breast, colon, prostate and pancreas cancers combined. In California 38,000 people are afflicted with lung cancer.

California is home to some of the worst pollution in the nation, over 70% of us live in counties affected by unhealthy air

Lung disease is responsible for one in seven deaths in the United States

Asthma is the number one chronic disease of children – affecting more than one million kids in California.